Kathmandu, June 21
Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall across the country in the last seven days have claimed at least 20 lives, while 21 people have gone missing.
A report of Nepal Police shows that of those whose bodies were retrieved, five are from Sindhupalchowk, three from Doti and one each from Saptari, Kavre, Gorkha, Kaski, Arghakhachi, Palpa, Pyuthan, Jumla, Kalikot, Bajhang, Panchthar and Bajura. Of the deceased, 13 are men, four are women and three are children.
Similarly, of the 21 people who went missing, 20 are from Sindhupalchowk.
The bodies of only five people of Sindhupalchowk were found on the muddy river basin. Some of these bodies were found hundreds of kilometres downstream in Sindhuli district. Of those who are missing, two are children below 12 years of age. More than 20 people were injured in the calamity.
At least 20 large floods destroyed at least 210 houses, 12 cowsheds, 18 bridges, three schools and eight government offices in the last seven days.
Similarly, more than 3,250 people of 748 families have been displaced due to flooding, while nearly 650 livestock have died.
Nepal Police said it had deployed security personnel to clear the roads obstructed by landslides. Police have so far rescued 806 people from various flood-hit districts, especially in the hilly region.
Monsoon has wreaked havoc in the very first week of its onset in the country. As the monsoon normally lasts for 105 days in the country, authorities have been asking people living in lowland areas and in disaster prone areas to stay alert.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 22, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
